The solar storm that erupted from the Sun yesterday reached the Earth today at about 15:00 UTC (10:00 a.m. Eastern US time). The wave of subatomic particles has been impacting the Earth’s magnetic field, and we’re starting to see some auroral activity:

Isn’t that lovely? That was taken at 18:00 UTC today from a webcam in Abisko, Sweden. Can you see the handle of the Big Dipper right below the green curtain? [More aurora webcam sites are listed below.]

The two biggest questions I’m getting on Twitter and Google+ are 1) is there any danger to this storm, and b) can I see the aurora from [my location]?

First, no, we’re not in any danger from this event. Even though it sounds terrifying — an explosion the equivalent of billions of nuclear weapons launching hundreds of millions of tons of subatomic particles Earthward at speeds of million of kilometers per hour! — we’re pretty well protected down here on the surface. The Earth’s magnetic field catches the particles, and most of those get dumped harmlessly in our upper atmosphere. That can create the aurora displays, but won’t dose everyone with radiation and give them superpowers.

Sorry. [UPDATE (19:00 UTC): a ground current surge was reported in Sweden, but so far that’s the only physical impact I’ve heard of.]

But the aurorae are pretty cool, and that brings us to the second question. The answer depends on where you are, and when it’s dark out. As I write this, activity is on the rise. Here are some live webcams for aurorae, some of which are showing spectacular activity! Note they only show views when it’s nighttime locally:

I’m getting conflicting info on potential aurorae tonight; the webcams in Scandinavia listed above are showing strong (and gorgeous) activity, but the prediction for Canada and the US appear moderate at best. But don’t let that discourage you! If you have clear skies, go outside once it’s good and dark and take a look. Even if there’s no aurora, you can see Venus and the thin crescent Moon to the west right after sunset, and that’s always a plus. And if things perk up, you might get a nice light show to the north, too!

What you see in that north-Swedish screenshot is *always* there: this is the typical green aurora you see almost every clear night in these geomagnetic latitudes, and it has nothing at all to do with the CME impact earlier today. Case in point are these impressions from northern Norway from last November when the geomagnetic activity was low all the time. To find out whether something extraordinary is going on aurora-wise one has to track webcams – and magnetometer data – much further south, way outside the normal auroral oval. If they act up, a geomagnetic storm is really under way.

No superpowers? But what am I going to do with this Aurora-Man costume now? Sure, the power to produce a pretty light show doesn’t seem like a good fit for crime fighting, but I could have rented myself out for parties!

If we were to see the pretty lights down here in central Texas (clouds or no clouds), that would some mighty CME. Probably do some damage. In the past it had to be X or greater to be seen in the Panhandle.

A friend of mine has reported seeing aurora in Greenville, SC tonight under very dark sky conditions. Take that for what you will. I went out looking a little further South in Charleston, SC (well, just northwest of Charleston) and didn’t see anything, but I have very poor viewing conditions especially when looking toward the horizon.

Gonzo, maybe if you were looking over the lake, but otherwise you probably wouldn’t see it all that well if it were even visible at all. On any really clear night, I’m lucky if I can make out even a handful of stars.

Being able to see the stars is the one thing I miss about living in a small town.